Three Mobsters Plead Guilty in Federal Court to Extorting Their Way into the Waste-Hauling Industry

Yes, the mafia's odd love of the garbage industry lives on. Yesterday three men pleaded guilty to various financial crimes linked to attempts to corner the waste-hauling business in greater New York City and New Jersey.

The charges against Dominick Pietranico, 82, Joseph Sarcinella, 79, and William Cali, 60, pertain to your run-of-the-mill loansharking scam, in which the men extorted an unnamed witness in the waste disposal industry into a loan with over 100-percent interest, allegedly with the intent of controlling the business.

The defendants, along with about 30 others with connections to the Luchese, Gambino, and Genovese crime families, were picked up in January on racketeering charges. So far five of those arrested have pleaded out.

Pietranico, Sarcinella, and Cali all face a maximum of 20 years in prison. Their sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 9, 2014, in Manhattan Federal Court.